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Making a Choice Between Digital Marketing and Traditional Marketing

As someone who began working in marketing when digital marketing was barely conceived, I often reflect and compare the two mediums. Traditional marketing , such as banners, billboards, newspaper ads, TV commercials, has been proven effective for decades and is still a respectable means of communicating with customers. After all, the average television commercial during the 2012 Super Bowl cost $3.5M.

But many of the companies that pay the big bucks for these ads have another critical tool in their back pocket: digital marketing. It’s no secret that digital marketing, such as social media, blogs, and mobile tools, are the newest innovation in the marketing industry and any business not utilizing them to their fullest is bound to miss out. But how does a company know whether to use a traditional or digital marketing strategy?

There are three critical questions that must be answered in order to determine the best traditional and digital marketing mix for your campaign.

What is your position? Do you want to position yourself as an expert in the field? If so, look to writing a blog and offer your expertise. What is your competitive advantage? How do you plan on leveraging that to beat out your competitors? If you want to position yourself as technologically advanced then digital marketing is likely a smart route.

Who is your audience? Your target audience is one of the most important things to consider before beginning any marketing campaign. Are they stay-at-home moms between the ages of 28 and 40? Maybe you want to catch the attention of 16- to 18-year-old male teenagers. Don’t be shy about narrowing in on a very specific target group. No matter who they are it is critical that you understand their habits. This question must be answered so you can move on to the next.

Where are your customers? If teenagers are your audience you can safely assume that a social media strategy is going to be more effective. However, an older target market may be easier to reach through a newspaper article or advertisement. Knowing where they visit most often will help you determine the mix of your traditional and digital marketing.

Answering these three key components will lead you on the right path to a great marketing campaign. If you need help determining where you should be in the digital space don’t hesitate to give us a call. We love digital marketing and will guide you as we navigate the terrain together.

Recent Comments

Never wait for the customers to get to you. Take some steps towards them and make them take some steps towards you. Social media allows you to reach the customers and also allows you to build a strong relationship with you.